Everyone tends to say that we don't need art, that it doesn't make any money or that we don't have to have it. But the thing is that we do need art, and here's why.
1. History
Throughout history, art has been used to tell stories and record things that have happened. A great example of this would be Egyptian hieroglyphs.
2. Clothing
Oh, where would we be without clothing? Running around naked somewhere, most likely. But either way, we wouldn't really have functional clothing without art. When people design clothes, it could be for functionality or for entertainment.
3. Photos
Royalty used to use art as a way to show people what they looked like (or show off their clothing and riches). There are plenty of portraits of English, French, and Spanish royalty. Today, the English Royal Family still does portraits.
4. Disney Movies
Who doesn't love a good Disney movie? Especially the animated ones. Animation has been a big money-maker for Disney and the Disney Princesses happen to be one of the most successful. Research has gone into those movies as well as the study of anatomy and stylized art.
5. Comic books/Graphic Novels
With all of the comic movies out today (Avengers, Superman, Batman, Captain America, etc.), we know that they had to come from somewhere. Comic books are still art, but more on the line of entertainment. Each comic has a style that differentiates it from another.
6. Architecture
Who designs the buildings that we live in? Who thinks of the concepts for different designs of the buildings and rooms that we've seen? That's right: artists. An architect is an artist, just not really someone that draws people. Without architects, we wouldn't really have the beautiful landscapes, sights, marine vessels and places like the Sydney Opera House.
7. Music
Music is also an art form. The emotions that it gives people, the joy, are some of the best reactions to art possible. Music moves us: it makes us dance, it makes us cry, it makes us proud.
We need art in our lives. We've had so much art influence history and build the things around us that we've lost sight of what art is and what it can do. But just in case, I didn't explain why we need art as well as I could have, here's a spoken word poem about art (warning: you may laugh or get slightly offended by this -- sorry to all of the Derricks out there):